You may also want to force the X server to 96 dpi to have the same fonts as with fbdev. Add "-dpi 96" to the X_OPTIONS variable in '''/etc/init.d/nodm''':<pre>X_OPTIONS="vt4 -nolisten tcp -dpi 96"</pre>

Zvuk

Keyboards and other input methods

As a default the Matchbox keyboard is installed, which you can use to input characters into your neo. As an alternative you might want to install CellWriter. It is a grid-entry natural handwriting input panel. As you write characters into the cells, your writing is instantly recognized at the character level. It also features a full fledged onscreen keyboard.

Kernel

Debian way

When Debian is installed, the kernel is provided by the package linux-image-2.6.24-openmoko-gta02. This package can be installed only in POSIX compliant filesystems, so it can not be used if your boot partition is a vfat one. Your kernel will be keep updated like the other packages of the system. You should use this way if you are unsure and you need an (almost) stable system.

Openmoko way

Otherwise you can choose to manual install an OM kernel. But only do this if you know what you are doing.
At the moment there is a little problem in the question which kernel to use. Hopefully it will be solved in the near future.

Download a recent kernel and rootfs (tar.gz) from one of the above mentioned sources. It's your decision if you want suspend or usb gadget modules at the moment.

Backup your running kernel like mv /boot/uImage.bin /boot/uImage.bin.old, then copy the downloaded uImage file to the freerunner as /boot/uImage.bin.

Backup your actual modules like mv /lib/modules/2.6.24 /lib/modules/2.6.24.old, then extract the downloaded rootfs tar.gz to a temporary directory and copy lib/modules/2.6.24 from the temp directory to /lib/modules/2.6.24 on the FreeRunner.

Do a chown -R root.root /lib/modules/2.6.24 because the owner from the tar.gz is something else (for me).

Run a depmod -a.

This step is only needed for the OM kernel but it doesn't harm the FSO kernel setup. Add "g_ether" Module to /etc/modules like echo g_ether >> /etc/modules. I read in an email, that the module "ohci-hcd" is also needed for some bluetooth functions, but i don't know this for real. I inserted it to my modules file to be on the safe side.

Reboot and hope everything works as expected. :)

Desktop environments

Matchbox with fbpanel

It is not really a Desktop environment, but using fbpanel with Matchbox you can have a fast, lightweight, gtk2 desktop panel.

Now choose your theme, font and save it. To see changes do 'killall fbpanel'.

In order to use killall, install the psmisc package:

apt-get install psmisc

Some of the icons rely on the hicolor-icon-theme:

apt-get install hicolor-icon-theme

XFCE

The debian installation script installs by default the matchbox window manager. It doesn't feature a desktop environment. xfce is a small and lightweight desktop environment and so is quite fast for the FreeRunner.

The desktop takes a while to start but once up was snappy as can be expected.
I've not yet looked at the reason for the seemingly too slow start for the desktop.

zhone is available from the "Office" menu in xfce.
The matchbox keyboard is available in "Accessories".

If you want to display the screen on the long side (ie rotated, 4:3 aspect), add the following to the /etc/X11/xorg.conf in both the Device and InputDevice sections :

Option "Rotate" "CCW"

and then (re)start xfce.

If you want to be able to shutdown/restart the device, add the following line to /etc/sudoers (don't forget to replace username with your actual username):

username localhost = NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/xfsm-shutdown-helper

Using matchbox-window-manager with XFCE

XFCE's window manager is poorly configured for use with the FreeRunner. Fortunately, matchbox's window manager is compatible with xfce. To use the matchbox window manager, modify ~/.xsession as follows:

E-Book reader

FBReader a good reader that can display txt, fb2, html and various other formats.

Epdfview a simple and lightweight PDF viewer, it can be installed from Debian repository.

Evince the official Gnome viewer, it can display pdf, djvu, cbz, and other formats.

There is also an hack to convert drm protected adobe ebooks to .cbz files readable as mentioned on the mailing list.

Miscellaneous

Making the cursor invisible

Using matchbox

Matchbox has an option, use_cursor, that can be used to control whether to show the cursor.
For the default setup, edit /usr/bin/zhone-session and change the matchbox command to
matchbox-window-manager -use_titlebar no -use_cursor no

Using unclutter

Unclutter is a program that hides the cursor after a period of inactivity. To use unclutter, install it

Now you can execute:
xsetroot -cursor empty.cursor empty.cursor
and the cursor will be invisible. To make this permanent you have to invent something ;) It must be executed after zhone has finished starting up.

Running X applications on your desktop in nested X server

Sometimes it is helpful to have a big screen, keyboard and mouse. You can run X applications in a nested X server window.
On your desktop install the nested X server application Xephyr (better that Xnest)
apt-get install xserver-xephyr
Run a nested X server as display=:1
Xephyr :1 -ac -br -screen 480x640 -reset -terminate &
Now you are able to run apps on your Neo which will display on your desktop PC. Make sure to set the display, for example if "mydesktop" is your desktop hostname
DISPLAY=mydesktop:1 xfce4-session &

Simulating right click with stylus

With fbdev driver from xserver-xorg

To have the right click with stylus an easy way is to use the Sebastian Ohl's tslib patch: you can find it here until it will not enter in the official Debian package.

With Xglamo driver from xserver-xglamo

Using the mouse and keyboard from your desktop on the OM device

Method 1: xsession export (works with a linux host)

If you are running Linux (or a similar xorg capable operating system) on your Desktop, you can export your xsession to the openmoko device and use your mouse and keyboard on the Neo screen. A little program called x2x makes it even possible to do this simultaneously on the fly. When activated you just move your mouse to the edge of your monitor and then the mouse cursor continues on the screen of your openmoko device. If you select a window on the OM, the input of your keyboard is automatically entered in that window. You can even use the clipboard to copy data from tour desktop to OM and in the reverse direction.

Configure your desktop computer to export your xsession:
On your desktop (with root permissions):
Make sure that sshd is installed and in /etc/ssh/sshd_config you have set
X11Forwarding yes

In K/Ubuntu sshd is in the package openssh-server.

On your OM device install x2x (with root permissions)
apt-get install xauth x2x
Now open a new X terminal on your desktop computer. You MUST be the same user that is running the xsession on your desktop (i.e. do not su to root or another user in your x terminal!). Use the same username that is running an xsession on your OM device. Assuming that you have a usb networking connection to OM (with standard configuration) on the user prompt of your desktop type:
user@desktop:~$ ssh -X openmoko@192.168.0.202 "/usr/bin/x2x -east -to :0.0"
Hit return and enter your password. The xterm window will be unresponsive after that, but keep it open until you disconnect your OM device.

Now move your mouse cursor across the right edge of your monitor. It should enter the screen of your OM device from the left. Of course you can also use -west, -north or -south, depending on your preference where you place your OM.

If computer says:
sh: /usr/X11R6/bin/xauth: No such file or directory
X11 connection rejected because of wrong authentication.
x2x - error: can not open display localhost:11.0

All devices/computers in question should be able to install synergy.
Windows computers can use an installer exe.
Debian devices have a package ready to be used.

apt-get install synergy quicksynergy

quick synergy will appear in your XFCE programs menu (Accessories->QuickSynergy).
Run it, switch to the "Use" tab, enter the IP address of the computer with the mouse and keyboard you wish to use, and press Execute.

In the windows host, (or linux) run the synergy after installation,
and configure it to share its keyboard and mouse(server),
configuration is fairly simple, you add all the hostnames of the devices/computers that ever would be joined to the "screens" list, and create 2 links for each connection.

If your desktop's hostname is homepc, and the device's is debian_gta02, and i place the device to the left of the desktop, the links would look like this:

homepc is right of debian_gta02
debian_gta02 is left of homepc

Now move back to the main screen, and press Start.

That should be it, in windows you should have an icon with a yellow lightning in it when synergy is connected and working.
Synergy supports connection of more then one screen so one could set up a full lab with only one keyboard and mouse :)

Zvuk

Keyboards and other input methods

As a default the Matchbox keyboard is installed, which you can use to input characters into your neo. As an alternative you might want to install CellWriter. It is a grid-entry natural handwriting input panel. As you write characters into the cells, your writing is instantly recognized at the character level. It also features a full fledged onscreen keyboard.

Kernel

Debian way

When Debian is installed, the kernel is provided by the package linux-image-2.6.24-openmoko-gta02. This package can be installed only in POSIX compliant filesystems, so it can not be used if your boot partition is a vfat one. Your kernel will be keep updated like the other packages of the system. You should use this way if you are unsure and you need an (almost) stable system.

Openmoko way

Otherwise you can choose to manual install an OM kernel. But only do this if you know what you are doing.
At the moment there is a little problem in the question which kernel to use. Hopefully it will be solved in the near future.

Download a recent kernel and rootfs (tar.gz) from one of the above mentioned sources. It's your decision if you want suspend or usb gadget modules at the moment.

Backup your running kernel like mv /boot/uImage.bin /boot/uImage.bin.old, then copy the downloaded uImage file to the freerunner as /boot/uImage.bin.

Backup your actual modules like mv /lib/modules/2.6.24 /lib/modules/2.6.24.old, then extract the downloaded rootfs tar.gz to a temporary directory and copy lib/modules/2.6.24 from the temp directory to /lib/modules/2.6.24 on the FreeRunner.

Do a chown -R root.root /lib/modules/2.6.24 because the owner from the tar.gz is something else (for me).

Run a depmod -a.

This step is only needed for the OM kernel but it doesn't harm the FSO kernel setup. Add "g_ether" Module to /etc/modules like echo g_ether >> /etc/modules. I read in an email, that the module "ohci-hcd" is also needed for some bluetooth functions, but i don't know this for real. I inserted it to my modules file to be on the safe side.

Reboot and hope everything works as expected. :)

Desktop environments

Matchbox with fbpanel

It is not really a Desktop environment, but using fbpanel with Matchbox you can have a fast, lightweight, gtk2 desktop panel.

Now choose your theme, font and save it. To see changes do 'killall fbpanel'.

In order to use killall, install the psmisc package:

apt-get install psmisc

Some of the icons rely on the hicolor-icon-theme:

apt-get install hicolor-icon-theme

XFCE

The debian installation script installs by default the matchbox window manager. It doesn't feature a desktop environment. xfce is a small and lightweight desktop environment and so is quite fast for the FreeRunner.

The desktop takes a while to start but once up was snappy as can be expected.
I've not yet looked at the reason for the seemingly too slow start for the desktop.

zhone is available from the "Office" menu in xfce.
The matchbox keyboard is available in "Accessories".

If you want to display the screen on the long side (ie rotated, 4:3 aspect), add the following to the /etc/X11/xorg.conf in both the Device and InputDevice sections :

Option "Rotate" "CCW"

and then (re)start xfce.

If you want to be able to shutdown/restart the device, add the following line to /etc/sudoers (don't forget to replace username with your actual username):

username localhost = NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/xfsm-shutdown-helper

Using matchbox-window-manager with XFCE

XFCE's window manager is poorly configured for use with the FreeRunner. Fortunately, matchbox's window manager is compatible with xfce. To use the matchbox window manager, modify ~/.xsession as follows:

E-Book reader

FBReader a good reader that can display txt, fb2, html and various other formats.

Epdfview a simple and lightweight PDF viewer, it can be installed from Debian repository.

Evince the official Gnome viewer, it can display pdf, djvu, cbz, and other formats.

There is also an hack to convert drm protected adobe ebooks to .cbz files readable as mentioned on the mailing list.

Miscellaneous

Making the cursor invisible

Using matchbox

Matchbox has an option, use_cursor, that can be used to control whether to show the cursor.
For the default setup, edit /usr/bin/zhone-session and change the matchbox command to
matchbox-window-manager -use_titlebar no -use_cursor no

Using unclutter

Unclutter is a program that hides the cursor after a period of inactivity. To use unclutter, install it

Now you can execute:
xsetroot -cursor empty.cursor empty.cursor
and the cursor will be invisible. To make this permanent you have to invent something ;) It must be executed after zhone has finished starting up.

Running X applications on your desktop in nested X server

Sometimes it is helpful to have a big screen, keyboard and mouse. You can run X applications in a nested X server window.
On your desktop install the nested X server application Xephyr (better that Xnest)
apt-get install xserver-xephyr
Run a nested X server as display=:1
Xephyr :1 -ac -br -screen 480x640 -reset -terminate &
Now you are able to run apps on your Neo which will display on your desktop PC. Make sure to set the display, for example if "mydesktop" is your desktop hostname
DISPLAY=mydesktop:1 xfce4-session &

Simulating right click with stylus

With fbdev driver from xserver-xorg

To have the right click with stylus an easy way is to use the Sebastian Ohl's tslib patch: you can find it here until it will not enter in the official Debian package.

With Xglamo driver from xserver-xglamo

Using the mouse and keyboard from your desktop on the OM device

Method 1: xsession export (works with a linux host)

If you are running Linux (or a similar xorg capable operating system) on your Desktop, you can export your xsession to the openmoko device and use your mouse and keyboard on the Neo screen. A little program called x2x makes it even possible to do this simultaneously on the fly. When activated you just move your mouse to the edge of your monitor and then the mouse cursor continues on the screen of your openmoko device. If you select a window on the OM, the input of your keyboard is automatically entered in that window. You can even use the clipboard to copy data from tour desktop to OM and in the reverse direction.

Configure your desktop computer to export your xsession:
On your desktop (with root permissions):
Make sure that sshd is installed and in /etc/ssh/sshd_config you have set
X11Forwarding yes

In K/Ubuntu sshd is in the package openssh-server.

On your OM device install x2x (with root permissions)
apt-get install xauth x2x
Now open a new X terminal on your desktop computer. You MUST be the same user that is running the xsession on your desktop (i.e. do not su to root or another user in your x terminal!). Use the same username that is running an xsession on your OM device. Assuming that you have a usb networking connection to OM (with standard configuration) on the user prompt of your desktop type:
user@desktop:~$ ssh -X openmoko@192.168.0.202 "/usr/bin/x2x -east -to :0.0"
Hit return and enter your password. The xterm window will be unresponsive after that, but keep it open until you disconnect your OM device.

Now move your mouse cursor across the right edge of your monitor. It should enter the screen of your OM device from the left. Of course you can also use -west, -north or -south, depending on your preference where you place your OM.

If computer says:
sh: /usr/X11R6/bin/xauth: No such file or directory
X11 connection rejected because of wrong authentication.
x2x - error: can not open display localhost:11.0

All devices/computers in question should be able to install synergy.
Windows computers can use an installer exe.
Debian devices have a package ready to be used.

apt-get install synergy quicksynergy

quick synergy will appear in your XFCE programs menu (Accessories->QuickSynergy).
Run it, switch to the "Use" tab, enter the IP address of the computer with the mouse and keyboard you wish to use, and press Execute.

In the windows host, (or linux) run the synergy after installation,
and configure it to share its keyboard and mouse(server),
configuration is fairly simple, you add all the hostnames of the devices/computers that ever would be joined to the "screens" list, and create 2 links for each connection.

If your desktop's hostname is homepc, and the device's is debian_gta02, and i place the device to the left of the desktop, the links would look like this:

homepc is right of debian_gta02
debian_gta02 is left of homepc

Now move back to the main screen, and press Start.

That should be it, in windows you should have an icon with a yellow lightning in it when synergy is connected and working.
Synergy supports connection of more then one screen so one could set up a full lab with only one keyboard and mouse :)